# Meerschaum pipes?



## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

I see Meerschaum pipes mentioned on here a lot. 

What is so special about them?


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

Look cool. Smoke nice. Don't ghost, according to what I read.

Most of all, I don't have one. This gives them a cachet all their own.


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## MontyTheMooch (May 27, 2012)

LOL. I've got a bunch of them 5 or 6. They smoke great. Half the fun is getting them to color.


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## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

Are the Meerschaum pipes pretty soft and fragile?

I thought I read somewhere that you could actually scratch the bowl with your fingernail.

If thats true, I'd imagine they require special attention so you dont damage them?


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## MontyTheMooch (May 27, 2012)

Meers can get scratched, but it'll take more than a fingernail. They're only soft when being carved. After that they are dried out and become hardened. Other than that they're not all that fragile. More care is typically taken to no leave fingerprints or dirt in the beeswax coating when the pipe is hot. The thing I like most about meers is that you can smoke them multiple times a day without needing any rest. Although it is good to let them sit ovcasionally to let the coloring set.


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## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

MontyTheMooch said:


> Meers can get scratched, but it'll take more than a fingernail. They're only soft when being carved. After that they are dried out and become hardened. Other than that they're not all that fragile. *More care is typically taken to no leave fingerprints or dirt in the beeswax coating when the pipe is hot*. The thing I like most about meers is that you can smoke them multiple times a day without needing any rest. Although it is good to let them sit ovcasionally to let the coloring set.


Don't mean to sound like an idiot but how would one avoid this and why would you worry about it?


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## MontyTheMooch (May 27, 2012)

No worries. Meerschaum are coated with beeswax to protect the pipe and to aid with coloring. As you smoke the pipe the wax melts and carries the moisture from smoking into the meerschaum. Handling the meerschaum while the wax is melted can potentially risk leaving fingerprints in the meer that you can't get out. You can eventually covet them over by coloring that section, but its no guarantee. 

If you're not sure about meer, buy a cheap one to experiment with and then something more TI your liking once you get hooked.


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## steinr1 (Oct 22, 2010)

A couple of things to be aware of with meerschaum pipes...

There are two main varieties. Turkish and Amboseli. There are other areas that the material came (came?) from but these are the only major places left.

Popular wisdom has the Turkish variety as the superior one. It is generally whiter and with less faults (when up to standard, certainly) but there are very many poor quality Turkish "meerschaum" pipes on the market. A large number aren't worthy of the name as they are really composite material pipes make of crushed meerschaum (probably - but who knows) bound with synthetic resin. AVOID THESE. Amboseli supplies have (I think) dried up but there are many estate pipes of good quality available.

Avoid anything you are not sure about. The resin pipes don't colour correctly, if at all, and this is one of the treasured qualities of a meerschaum pipe. Over the months and years proper ones will darken and take on a unique colour and pattern that is down to what you smoke and even how you smoke it. In this, I feel, the Turkish material excels. 

A few comments were made on the importance of keeping meerschaum pipes clean and avoiding fingerprints. Tradition has it that a kid glove should be worn to avoid all contact, at least until the pipe is fully coloured. I handle my current meerschaum only by the stem and take greater care over it than other pipes. That's only a no name Amboseli one. "Estate", but actually unused and unmarked. Might be Kiko, but the stem is now polished out - can't remember. I "ruined" one - again my guess is Amboseli - years ago before I knew better. I still smoke it and although there are a few marks on it it performs as well as any that has had more love lavished on it.

They are (in other senses apart from the "no touchy" issue) really practical pipes. No need to rest and they are pretty robust. I've dropped mine a number of times with no harm done. They are made of rock after all.


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## meerschaumsmoker (Oct 15, 2012)

huskers said:


> I see Meerschaum pipes mentioned on here a lot.
> 
> What is so special about them?


I love Meerschaum Pipes, they smoke better than any other pipes out there. Unlike briar, the stone absorbs and dissipates heat. I have never worries about fingerprints, nor ever seen any on my or my friend's seasoned pipes. They are sturdy and light, very easy to keep in your mouth if you are a busybody like me and need to fidget with your hands. I recommend a full or quarter bent meerschaum from Paykoc Imports. Paykoc Imports dot com (I cant seem to link)
They offer a 90 day warranty, they house the largest stock of Meerschaum in the country and have great customer service. I was looking for an Oom Paul once and couldn't find one, I called them and they had it. They sent me one for about $130 and it has smoked like a champ for 3 years now. Cheers! Keep smoking meerschaum pipes!


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## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

This is your one and only post, not to mention your very first.

You must work for or run that webpage?


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## MontyTheMooch (May 27, 2012)

Here's a really interesting article on Meerschaum pipes that I ran across a while back.

Meerschaum Pipe Carving: Another Art Fading into History


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## meerschaumsmoker (Oct 15, 2012)

I am honestly a Paykoc fanboy, they treat me very well. I am new to threaded discussions like this, I will try and keep up. I have also been to Turkey a few times and love the dying industry. The article that MontyTheMooch posted is fact. I have had conversations with Charlie Paykoc about this problem. You will see prices going up over the next few years as carvers, raw block stone and distributors disappear.


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## Griz (May 10, 2009)

Been wanting a Meer ever since I started smoking. A nice billiard with the golf ball dimples would be sweet.

Has anyone noticed the color changing faster / slower depending upon the type of tobacco? Say and Aromatic vice a straight VA.

Seems to me, the more goop in the tobacco (aromatics) would color the meer faster. But I've been wrong before.


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## MontyTheMooch (May 27, 2012)

I used to think that there was, but I've no real evidence to suggest that any tobacco colors better than another. I used to smoke Lane Limited RLP6 exclusively in my meers. I thought it smoked better and colored it faster. It just turned out I was smoking it a LOT. 

This week I've been polishing off my remaining PA in my mere. Once again I'm noticing coloring, but it's because I'm smoking it more. 

Overall, if you can manage your pack to smoke nice and cool and continuous you'll color your mere faster because you're not seeing large temperature spikes and the wax inside the mere will melt more evenly and distribute e color better.


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## meerschaumsmoker (Oct 15, 2012)

A fun little hack I learned to color it faster and more evenly is to smoke a bowl and leave the pipe in mason jar full of smoke. It is a little tricky at first, and is technically cheating... but it really adds a nice color to the meerschaum. I have never seen any difference in coloring by different types of tobacco. Or I just never notice, I have kids and they take most of my attention these days.


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## redsmoker666 (Sep 25, 2012)

I have a missouri meerschaum that i picked up for about $13 from my local tobacconist from the smokes i've had i have no complaint the bowl only gets slightly warm to the touch and is easy to pull apart and clean. 

Is there any way to get rid of the slight charring on the edge of the bowl my dumb noob arse did on the first smoke i had. :-x


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Don't worry about it; it adds character.


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## TheRooster (Jul 18, 2012)

After reading this thread I went to paykoc and picked up 2 small meershaums for like, $75 total... They're little bowls, conical, seem about perfect for flake and rope. Only tried one so far, but it smoked like a champ...


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## Tony78 (Oct 20, 2012)

Thanks for the article link. That was a very interesting read.


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## meerschaumsmoker (Oct 15, 2012)

You need to get a real Meerschaum redsmoker666!! Corncob pipes still work to smoke, but invest a few bucks into something that you can enjoy for years.


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## steinr1 (Oct 22, 2010)

meerschaumsmoker said:


> A fun little hack I learned to color it faster and more evenly is to smoke a bowl and leave the pipe in mason jar full of smoke. It is a little tricky at first, and is technically cheating... but it really adds a nice color to the meerschaum. I have never seen any difference in coloring by different types of tobacco. Or I just never notice, I have kids and they take most of my attention these days.


How long do you leave the pipe in the jar?

Actually, I'd wager that the real reason this works is probably related to leaving the pipe with part smoked tobacco in the bowl. The amount of particulate you could get in a jar (unless you puffed into it continually for days) would be negligible. The jar idea is good - the tobacco left in the bowl would remain moist and allow "stuff" to diffuse through the meerschaum more readily.

I read somewhere (in this forum?) that a good way to colour meerschaum is to part smoke a pipe, topping up repeatedly and leave the part burnt residue up to the level you want to colour for a few weeks. Not tried it myself, but seems plausible.

I prefer the stories about getting people (usually soldiers) to keep smoking your pipe continually until the colouring job was complete. Back when you could buy a commission in a regiment and order your men to do most anything. The good old days...


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